Online adult content providers are requesting the full Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals to revisit a significant portion of its ruling concerning Utah’s online age-verification law. This request follows Utah’s enforcement of a law demanding age verification from users accessing adult websites, a regulation in effect since May 2023, which led platforms like Pornhub to restrict access to users from the state.
The appeal for an en banc rehearing, which was filed by Free Speech Coalition Inc. on Tuesday, centers on a contention that involves the Utah public safety chief’s role in enforcing the law. A previous decision by a three-judge panel on October 1 led to a partial dissent, spurring this latest attempt to have the ruling reconsidered.
The coalition argues that the panel’s majority finding contradicts existing precedents set by both the circuit and the Supreme Court. The appeal highlights the complexity of constitutional and privacy concerns intertwined with modern digital content regulations and underscores ongoing tensions between state-imposed restrictions and federal legal standards.
For additional details, you can access the original report by Bloomberg Law.